Wednesday, May 31, 2006

Wedding Survivor

Wedding Survivor by Julia London

Thrillseekers Anonymous is a group of four men who promise major thrills in the form of extreme sports for the elite who are drawn to the fact the group is able to keep the press far, far away. But, as their fame grows farther, they start to get offers for other events which the rich and famous would like to forgo media attention for. Eli McCain is not happy when his partners decide to take on an extreme adventure which will end in a wedding. Especially when he gets stuck with finding a wedding planner willing to deal with what they have planned plus keep quiet about the wedding of Hollywood's two biggest stars.

Marnie Banks doesn't actually have a wedding under her belt yet so when faced with having to climb up a rope and run around a track on her interview she does it. This job will launch her into the world of weddings like a rocket. Unfortunately for her, the two stars are as spoiled as you can get with the bride not understanding the difficulties in having the wedding in a remote place. When they get there and a freak storm makes getting down from the mountain any time soon impossible, Marnie and Eli will have the time to act on the feelings growing between them.


I have mixed feelings about this book. Overall, a quick fun read. But there were a few things which irritated me a bit: like the bride being so stereotypical of a rich bitchy actress and Marnie herself being blinded by the actress's status that she doesn't see the negative attitude quickly. Eli, however, is a great hero and I could over look the other things especially when he was in the scene too. It's a fun book and those who like laughter with their romance should get a kick out of it. I mean, how many books have you read where they shoot sandwiches across a broken bridge with some kind of snowblower machine?
Posted by Amme :: 5:02 PM :: 0 comments

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Wednesday, May 24, 2006

Bet Me

Book 9/12

Jennifer Crusie's Bet Me

This was the first romance I've ever read - and it's 99% likely to be the last. This book confirms why I never read the genre and why I never write it: the plot is cookie cutter, the characters are cardboard, and not one drop of the romance is even remotely believable. Meanwhile, you're beaten over the head with the omnipresent need to mention food (I will never eat chicken marsala again, simply because of how often it was mentioned in this book, and my disgust with Krispy Kreme has been elevated) and the ridiculous need to constantly describe the heroine's damn shoes.

Min was a great character until she started "falling" for Cal, and then she became obnoxious and annoying. In the beginning, she had a razor-sharp wit and sassy mind, which degenerated into mush by the time the ending rolled around, and I lost all respect for her. She's a stereotypical fat girl, down to the skinny sister and the diet-conscious mother, and she has the required two best friends - the ball-buster and the fairy tale princess. Her mind and remarks in the beginning were golden, and I really liked her. Then she became infatuated, and I wanted to hunt her down and smack her upside the head. For me, it felt like she did a 180 and became this mushy, simpering woman who'd sell her soul for a scrap of affection - it was a major disappointment.

Cal was so cardboard, I suspect he was used to make the cover: handsome guy who always gets what he wants with women, had a suitably "tragic" childhood which turns him into a "player" and enough charm to gag an elephant. There's nothing even remotely respectable about him, and he doesn't change at all from cover to cover. He's an arrogant, pompous jerk, and successfully wins everything without exuding even a hint of effort. And, of course, he has the required two buddies: the rover and the mush-brain. Cardboard, more cardboard, and even MORE cardboard.

The plot was so basic, I was insulted: girl hates guy, girl likes guy, guy likes girl, the end - everyone lives happily ever after (and we're talking literally - there's a freaking epilogue). No twists, no turns, no surprises, nothing even remotely worthwhile. The only saving grace I can mention is Elvis (the cat - one of THREE Elvises mentioned throughout the book), who was perfect. Then again, anyone who can't write a cat character has serious issues. I won't be reading any more of her books, and I now have even more reason to completely swear off of romances. *~*

Posted by Andria :: 12:15 PM :: 6 comments

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Friday, May 19, 2006

Tiny snapshots of recent reads

Been doing a lot of reading this week so here are some condensed views on the books I've read.


I finished up Curse the Dark by Laura Anne Gilman. It's the second one in a series and I really enjoyed it. Better than the first one I think -- but that might be because it focuses a bit more on the personal relationship between the two partners.

Than I read Bitten & Smitten by Michelle Rowan. My take on that is here.

Next, Master of Wolves by Angela Knight. Interesting...I loved the main story but the overall sort of "series" story I didn't exactly click with. This could be 1) I didn't read the first one and 2) it all felt a bit superhero-y to me. I'd read more, don't get me wrong but most like through loaning from the library.

Next were three books in a series by Mariah Stewart: Dead Wrong, Dead Certain, and Dead Even. Three convicts end up in a holding cell and come up with a "game": naming three people they would kill when they got out and wouldn't get caught. They then switch names and the first one free decides it sounds fun and starts the game for real.

Loved the first one, loved the second one...but the third one fell a little flat for me. I think it's because the third "killer" was never a killer in the same sense as the other two. Plus there was another subplot running through it which had nothing to do with the killer one and than the ending when the dangers of the two plots came together a bit too easily...yeah. Not my fave of the three.

Moving on....next up was Courting Midnight by Emma Holly. Hot book. Cool vampire take. Historical Regency setting. Really enjoyed it. Hope she writes more with that particular set of characters. I see there is an earlier one which I shall have to try and track down. Emma Holly has always been a favorite of mine because she has no problem putting the sex and plot together so tightly that the book wouldn't work without them both in it. Sadly, the same can not be said for many of the erotic romances out there that I've stumbled across.

Today I read Say No To Joe? by Lori Foster. I love her books. Her heros are always a hit for me and the heroines are too. This one did not disappoint. Joe likes women and is pretty used to getting them when he wants. Luna slaps him the first time they meet (not in this book) and rejects his flirting. Then, of course, she needs his help and once they are put together the heat builds.

Posted by Amme :: 4:42 PM :: 0 comments

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Monday, May 15, 2006

Bitten & Smitten

I've been reading but not blogging about that which seems to be the story of my life. I haven't been blogging about much of anything lately. Hopefully this week I shall get more into the habit.


Bitten & Smitten by Michelle Rowan is one of those odd crossbreed of subgenres which seems to be popular now: vampires (paranormals) and chick-lit.

Luckily Rowan makes it work well here.

Sarah Dearly has the ultimate blind date from hell: a vampire who bites her and starts the change. She believes he's just crazy when she wakes up and hears what he has to say. Of course, he doesn't talk for long before vampire hunters came and hack him up into bits.

Sarah gets rescued from the hunters by running into another vampire -- a much older vampire that tries to point out that she really is a vampire or will be one once she drinks vampire blood. Of course, Sarah does the normal thing...and tries to brush it all off as a dream. Then, during her review at work, she ends up sucking on the blood of her supervisor after the woman cuts herself accidentally. Needless to say, Sarah is out of a job and finds herself thrust into a whole new world.

She goes to Thierry, the vampire who helped her, who is a very old vampire for more help. He's also reading to move on because he feels like there is no point to his existance anymore. What follows is a story of Sarah adjusting to life as a vampire during the Hunting Season when the Vampire Hunters are in town and falling in love with Theirry.

It's written in first person with an upbeat (chicklit) sort of style. Everything that can go wrong usually does -- mostly involving Sarah running into the Hunters everytime she turns around. Luckily, while she has her more idiotic moments, Sarah is easy to deal with as a heroine and unlike a lot of chick-lit heroines, I had no desire to strangle her at all while I was reading the book. Well, okay, maybe once or twice....

Overall a good book and worth checking out if paranormals and/or chick-lit are your thing. :)

Posted by Amme :: 11:49 AM :: 0 comments

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Friday, May 12, 2006

More Pip and Flinx Adventures

Book 7/12

Alan Dean Foster's The Tar-Aiym Krang

(By the way, this cover is MUCH better than the newer version I have) I'm starting to develop a dislike for series - mostly because it feels like I'm being spoon-fed tiny bits of a greater story arc, and I'm not entirely certain there IS an arc out there. To explain: this book picks up where For Love of Mother-Not left off (maybe a year afterward? Not much more than that), without touching a single one of the strands that were left dangling in that first book. This book could stand on its own, easily; it wouldn't be as rich of a story (you'd miss out on the discovery of Pip, for example), but you wouldn't be missing anything integral. It wouldn't be as irritating, except that the first book left a major thread hanging - Flinx's parentage. The Tar-Aiym Krang doesn't even bother to delve into the topic (though he does suddenly have a full name - Philip Lynx - which is never explained...in this book). I was disappointed that it didn't carry the story forward. Instead, it jumped sideways and appeared completely unrelated, in any sense.

Don't get me wrong, it's an interesting story. You get to delve into the complexities of some of the technology Mr. Foster has created, as well as the Thranx (probably one of the most interesting alien species I've come across). There's the potential to learn more about the Tar-Aiym - a vanished race of war-obsessed creatures - and even the intrigue of...business relations? Okay, so that part felt a little flat and WAY out there (but then came full circle in the next book...which is another reason for my irritation with series), but it was a nice set-up. Unfortunately, the ending left me wanting to toss the book and refuse to read another, because it was so EMPTY! All of the time and effort to find the Krang, then figure out what it does, then to get it working...and then everyone packs up and leaves, and the book ends! *~* Throw in that there's a hefty lack of information on exactly what happens to Flinx, and I was ready to foam at the mouth. It felt incorrect, as an ending, and I was left very unsatisfied - not to mention wondering what purpose the book served, at all. There was no furthering of the initial plot, no connection to the arc (or so I thought), and, really, just seemed to exist to introduce new characters. As far as I'm concerned, that isn't a good enough reason.

Still, I reasoned that I had the third book, so I might as well read it, which brings me to my second review (and reminds me to post these when I finish the book...not when I finish the book after it):

Book 8/12

Alan Dean Foster's Orphan Star

(Again, this cover is MUCH better than the new one) Little lightbulbs came on: "OH, so THAT'S why he introduced Teleen and Malaika" and "Right, that's why Truzenzuzex is important" (minor note: I seriously hate Thranx names; yes, it's very cool how he developed them, but they're a mouthful!). Suddenly, Flinx again cares about his parentage, and the entire premise of the book is a search for Conda Challis, who casually mentioned that he knew Flinx's mother (or at least her habits/personality). Why The Tar-Aiym Krang exists, I still have no idea, save that it introduced people in this book - but that's it. There's very little reference back to the Krang, at all, save that the search for it is what filled Flinx's bank account. The second book now feels like a detour, while this one came back on track.

And then, maddeningly, it set up more obscure plot points that are not resolved, in the least. I really wanted to know what the Janus Jewels were accomplishing, but none of the characters seemed to care, so I was left in the dark. I can guess that they re-surface in another book in the series, which is why they were introduced here, but the lack of conclusion was irritating. I think you need to tie down at least ONE major plot issue before you unravel another one - at least if you want to avoid annoying your readers. As it is, nothing really gets resolved in this book: Flinx has a clue to his parentage, but it's not the entire answer (nor is it really finalized in any way); the Ujurrians are kind of just left to the "new game" without any thought of consequences (by the way, the Ujurrians are another neat alien idea - if a bit predictable); and Biidi WW (why the AAn have such weird names is beyond me) is safely back in outerspace, plotting the downfall of the Commonwealth, while I'm wondering why I care. Oh, yes, and Challis is dead, as is Teleen - which isn't too sad, because they weren't really contributing anything to the story.

Come on! I need more meat than that! And, once again, I need ending explanations! It really feels like Mr. Foster was given a deadline, and to make it, he rushed the ending of the book. I understand that the Ujurrians are very intelligent, but they can read a book and suddenly know how to build a KK drive-powered ship? I'm sorry, but I'm a little skeptical, there. Also, why do they adore Flinx so much? He did just as much for Sylzenzuzex, and she's still contemplating strangling him. It just felt full of snap decisions that miraculously work and rushed endings. The man can tell a good story (excluding my feelings about series), but he really can't end it to save his life. Maybe that's why I don't usually read series. At least it confirms, for me, that the MindWalker series needs to touch the story arc in EVERY book, and I need to close each individual book properly - not leave major threads hanging out. So I'll chalk Mr. Foster's books up to learning experience. *-*

Next up is a first for me: a romance book (at least, if it's not romance, it's chick-lit) a friend sent me. That should be an interesting read/review. *-*

Posted by Andria :: 10:43 AM :: 1 comments

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